THE HAGUE, 20/01/04 - The Blok Committee's report on integration policy over the past thirty years has not met a positive reception in the Lower House. The three largest parties consider it too weak.

The Christian democrats (CDA) are extremely critical of the committee. Parliamentary leader Maxime Verhagen considers the conclusions and recommendations "too noncommittal and general." He also observed a lack of cohesion between analyses and conclusions, including those relating to education and integration. "Besides this, it is a great pity and very disappointing that the committee nowhere seems willing to venture the conclusion that integration policy has failed, even where this conclusion seems justified," Verhagen pointed out.

CDA's coalition partner, the conservatives (VVD), were even more outspoken. VVD MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali was annoyed by the main conclusion that integration had been partly or completely successful. The report "lacks a sense of reality. The committee offers no solutions for the substantial problems in the country." She also claimed too little attention was paid to cultural collisions between immigrants and native Dutch. "The VVD would have preferred to see clear recommendations," Hirsi Ali declared.

Opposition party Labour (PvdA) was more moderate. Party leader Wouter Bos appreciated the committee's analysis, but at the same time agreed that the recommendations for improving integration policy were not firm enough. "These pay little attention to social and cultural themes, are extremely cautiously worded and should be tightened up in many areas," PvdA MP Jeroen Dijsselbloem added.

The PvdA has accepted its responsibility "for the successes and shortcomings" in integration policy over the last few decades, Dijsselbloem observed, and now wished primarily to look ahead. Bos criticised a recent statement by VVD leader Jozias van Aartsen blaming the PvdA for the unsuccessful policy.

The smallest government party, the centre-left D66, regarded the recommendations as "very cautious" and missed measures for discouraging marriage immigration. It also considered that Christian schools should be obliged to admit Moslem pupils and vice versa. "Strikingly absent" in the report is the discussion of the conflict between Dutch values and those of newcomers.

Socialist (SP) leader Jan Marijnissen, who took the initiative for the inquiry in September 2001, declined to comment on the committee's analysis but concluded that "segregation has been accepted carelessly for a long time." The time for keeping things optional is over, both for immigrants, the Dutch and the government, he maintained.

In the view of Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), the committee "failed to ask essential questions." The conclusions are primarily "politically correct," claimed MP Hilbrand Nawijn. "Moslem fundamentalism, its influence on integration, the relatively high crime rate among young people from immigrant backgrounds and the distressing problems in education" are covered inadequately or not at all.

The leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) followed the PvdA line by observing that the committee had made a good inventory of the situation, but was too cautious in drawing conclusions. Like D66, GroenLinks considers that the constitutional freedom of education should be modified to force schools to admit pupils.